Oak Park pool planning for next summer

Since Ridgeland Common will be under construction next summer, the park district is reaching out to other entities to see where they might be able to hold pool programs.

Staff from the park district and Oak Park and River Forest High School met in the last few weeks to see if pool space at the high school could be shared during that time, said Bill Hamilton, assistant superintendent of revenue facilities. He said the park district has swimming lessons, lap swim and camp programs that staff would like to re-locate. Then they could open up Rehm Pool for the general public, he said.

Hamilton added the park district also plans to reach out to Fenwick High School and the Forest Park park district. They're not looking to displace other programs, he said, but want to do "whatever we can do to pull away some of the demand at Rehm."

The pool outreach is part of a transition plan that the park district is working on as they prepare to move out of Ridgeland Common before the renovation begins in March 2013. Hamilton said they need to figure out what equipment must be stored and where it will go, and hope to have a better handle on that by the end of the summer.